FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to devices for supporting flat, cube or bar-shaped stock, such as bricks, tile and masonry blocks on masonry saws for cutting at various angles. The nature of construction employing these types of materials often requires that the material be cut at various angles, although most masonry saws are designed only for 90 degree cutting.
In today's architecture, tile, masonry blocks and bricks are extensively used in both structural and ornamental applications. Being both strong and ornamental, these materials facilitate rapid construction of structures that are beautiful, sound and reasonably inexpensive. The savings incurred by using these types of materials can be significant and a beautiful finish can be realized from basic building blocks. In order to maximize this advantage, those who build with these blocks must have tools that are capable of cutting precise angles. Due to the bulk and weight of bricks and masonry blocks, tools which are used in the shaping and preparation of these building materials must be as strong and durable as possible. Also, because of the required speed of construction using these materials, the tools used must be highly portable. In light of these factors, a need clearly exists for a workpiece or workstock holder for masonry saws that is precise, strong and highly portable.
There have been attempts in the past to design such a holder. One such design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,137, issued Aug. 27, 1969, to M. J. Hare. This design, unlike the one submitted in this application, lacks mobility, in that it includes the complete stock support and moving platform arrangement for a masonry saw, rather than a detachable accessory. The entire platform must then be removed and replaced for very heavy, 90 degree cutting. Furthermore, the design is too complicated to provide the necessary strength at a reasonable cost of construction and the bed is also designed so that one side of the stock to be cut must extend over the side of the bed. This means that one segment of the workstock or workpiece may be damaged as it falls from the saw, thus resulting in waste or that the workman's hand be in the immediate vicinity of the saw blade. Falling waste material can also be a safety hazard in such a situation. Another serious defect in the Hare design is an inadquate system of angle adjustment. The adjustment includes a bolt, wing nut and a pair of spaced, vertical, arcuate slots and does not allow for accurate, minute adjustments in the cutting angle. Also, due to the fact that the slots are primarily vertically-oriented, the adjustment setting is maintained entirely by the friction between the heel of the wing nut and the sides of the slots. This is seriously inadequate because of the weight of the material being cut and the downward pressure of the saw blade during the cutting operation. A shift in angle setting during a cut could cause binding of the saw and might also result in a broken blade and undue strain on the saw motor, as well as the workpiece being thrown from the saw. In any event, the workpiece may not be accurately cut. U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,117, dated Mar. 8, 1988, to H. C. Coates, details a "Conveyor Cart For Masonry Saws", which includes a structure for releasably clamping masonry workpieces in place at a selected angle for engagement by the cutting disk of the saw. A "Masonry Saw Jig" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,494, dated Feb. 16, 1982, to M. DiPlacido and includes a mitre guide jig having a body portion and an end portion adjustably attached to the body portion. The body portion further includes a single, flat workpiece-receiving face which is bordered by at least one raised side rail and moves through a variety of tile-cutting positions with adjustment of the body portion. The design set forth in this application will alleviate these, as well as other problems which are apparent in sawing masonry blocks, bricks and similar masonry at various angles by providing a simple, strong, safe, efficient, accurate and highly portable masonry workpiece support system.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved masonry saw jig having a frame, a V-shaped bed pivotally attached to the frame and a support bar having one end pivotally secured to the V-shaped bed, with the opposite end of the support bar slidably attached to the frame for secure and accurate adjustment of the V-shaped bed with respect to the frame.
Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable workpiece or workstock holder or masonry saw jig which includes a frame for resting on the workpiece support or base of a masonry saw beneath the saw blade, a V-shaped bed pivotally carried by the frame and a support bar having one end pivotally secured in a slot located in the V-shaped bed and the opposite end slidably disposed adjacent to a horizontal slot located in the jig frame and connected to the frame by a bolt extending through the slot, for adjusting the V-shaped bed and a workpiece placed therein, with respect to the frame and the masonry saw blade.